


Bring Me Back to Life One More Time, With You

by Keeskay



Category: Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Cohabitation, Cutting, Depression, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nao doesn't exist, Overdose, Ritsu came from another world, Ritsu has wings, Self-Harm, Suicide, Takano is there, Yokozawa is possessive, Yokozawa is suspicious, angel Ritsu, brought together by a tornado, caring Takano, depends on how the story goes, might add new tags, might delete tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-10 12:38:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15949505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keeskay/pseuds/Keeskay
Summary: After a vicious unexpected tornado, Takano comes home to find an injured angel has crashed into his apartment.  The man is a mystery, and what's more, Takano feels as if he recognizes him.





	1. Fallen Angel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! This is my first published fanfic. Any constructive criticism would be great. Here's hoping you will enjoy it :D

Ritsu sat there, breathing heavily and unevenly. He could feel his consciousness slowly slipping away. He was so confused, with everything going around him; the fierce howling winds, the large swirling thing connecting the sky and ground that moved around sucking everything around it and then blowing it back out, and the fact that he had been in the middle of that thing, falling from the sky until he was finally blown out of it and crashing through a large glass window. 

He knew it was a possibly dangerous idea, but as soon as he had decided to slip through that crack to this world, the Overworld as every spirit called it, the one that every spirit came from but had no memories of, he found himself utterly confused with the wind currents making him unable to use his wings and being thrown around in that disastrous dirty wind was even worse. 

His large white wings had blood on them, a little still dripping on the floor. His body was also littered in cuts from the glass window he had crashed through. Now he was leaning against one of the inside walls of this room that he was in. 

He didn't care to look at his surroundings, not that he could with it being so dark, instead of getting used to the fact that temperature actually affected him. Sure, he felt it in the Underworld, and it could affect him, to an extent, if he let it. But the fact that he was so cold and he couldn't cancel it out was kind of freaking him out. Not to mention he was dizzy since his head had slammed against the wooden floor. Also, the feeling of pain that he never experienced in the Underworld was confusing the hell out of him.

He looked out the shattered large window he had busted through, and the large monstrous dusty whirlwind was just starting to go into the distance. 

He couldn't think anymore. His conscious was fading. He draped his large wings over himself as he leaned against the wall, hugging his knees, before finally passing out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.


	2. I Found an Angel

Takano, as well as most of the others inside Marukawa publishing, had to take shelter from the tornado passing through the city.  They were all inside one of the several centermost rooms which had no windows, sturdy walls, and was perfect against this little disaster. 

 

Of course, that didn't stop the nervous atmosphere hanging in the room.  Some were worried about their homes getting torn apart, their families, or friends.  Sure, it wasn't the worst tornado to pass through, but it was quite large and quite unexpected. 

 

Takano had nothing to worry about.  Sure he had a home that might get torn apart, but that was an apartment, and he could move if the damage was really bad.  The only thing he worried about was his personal belongings getting destroyed or lost.

 

After about thirty minutes to an hour of sitting around, they seemed to have been out of the danger zone and a man came out to inform them that the tornado had passed by and was only getting further away.  Takano stood up from his spot on the floor, his bottom and back sore from the uncomfortable position.

 

Most everyone who didn't have much important unfinished work was let home by Isaka, who knew most couldn't work with all the worry dreading them.  It was late anyway, almost an hour from midnight.  Takano and his team, having only started the next cycle, didn't have much work to do or had already finished so they were all sent home.

 

Takano drove his car back cautiously, watching out for the stray branches or fallen rubble on the road.  Thankfully there wasn't much.  As he neared his apartment, he noticed that the building itself seemed pretty fine, although there was the occasional broken window that an unfortunate attendant would probably have to replace. 

 

He quickened his pace as he went up the stairs, the elevator being out of service, and headed into his seemingly unscathed apartment.  That is until he reached the living room.

 

He sighed before he even rounded the corner, seeing the shards of glass scattered here and there through the moonlight.  Although when he did round the corner to his living room, he saw that the shards came from the large window above his couch that usually let in the morning sunlight and that it had an incredibly large hole in it. 

 

He was startled when he saw something he hadn't exactly taken great notice before. There was a large white lump next to the wall in the corner, moving, but barely, every few seconds.

He was honestly a bit scared.  He had no idea what it was and he couldn't exactly make it out since the electricity was out and he couldn't turn on the lights.  Then he caught sight of a leg and a shoe kicked out in front of the limp and saw that the white actually looked like feathers, though it was mixed with red.

 

He cautiously walked over to it, wishing he had bought a flashlight on the way over, and stopped when he saw it from a front angle instead of a side one.

It was a human, but with what looked like extremely large wings, and he was sleeping, or passed out.  Even though the hazy moonlight coming from the broken window, he could make out the crimson on his body and... wings.

 

The wings enveloped him but had drooped down enough where they were leaning against his knees and spread out on the floor, making the man's face visible.  "Hey, wake up.  You alright?"  Takano attempted, while still standing three foot away.  He tried again, this time nudging his shoulder cautiously, but the man wouldn't wake up. 

 

The man was littered with cuts and as crazy as it was, the only thing he could deduce was that the man had busted through his apartment window... which was on the 15th story... 

A drop of blood landing on his hand that had streamed from the man's temple had started him out of his thoughts. 

_Right... medical supplies first, think later._

 

As he brought a first aid kit, he wondered why the man had worn such big wings.  Had he gone out to a party or something?  Was he contesting for the most realistic costume?  The latter seemed to be an option, considering how realistic they looked.

 

He started on the man's head which was still bleeding.  He clicked his tongue when his position became uncomfortable and decided to lay the patient on the couch to have better access to his injuries.  When he tried to pull the bulky wings off, however, he nearly jumped when they, in turn, stiffened up. 

 

He sat there in shock for a moment, watching as they slowly relaxed back in place, refusing to believe that they may be in fact part of the younger man's body.  He noticed the wings were actually quite bloody in some spots, and that it was still dripping a little. 

 

_I've got to be wrong... right?_

 

He lifted up the wing a little, only to realize that the feathers didn't feel fake at all and that it contracting again was indeed the result of muscle.  Live muscle. 

 

He stood up and walked a little distance, trying to make sense of the situation.  He looked back at the calmly breathing man on his floor and tried to think of some reasonable explanation.  Some type of birth defect?  Radioactivity?  Was an angel sent here or did it accidentally slip into our world? 

 

He pinched and rubbed the bridge of his nose, and decided that because trying to find the answer out was simply too stressing, he would instead ask the man himself when he wakes up.  For now, though, he would need some bandages.

 

He decided to lay the man on the carpet, after cleaning up the glass shards, in fear of tripping on one of his large wings while delivering him to the couch and began treating the trauma to his head first.  There was only a little bit of split skin, thankfully, but he sighed when he saw all the mini glass cuts all over his body.

 

It was at this moment when he actually took in the man's attire.  He wore a black buttoned long-sleeve shirt with a beige jacket over it, and then regular black trousers and black slip-on shoes.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  For some reason, he felt like angels would be wearing ancient loose white robes with golden pins and a halo.

 

From the clothes he was wearing, which seemed to be that of a completely normal person, he wondered if angels actually existed on earth and not in the afterlife.  Do angels actually live among us?  Do they somehow hide their wings?

 

He cringed when he pulled a large shard of glass from his wing, and the cut began bleeding fast.  He quickly wrapped it up as best he could after putting some disinfectant on it. 

 

When he pulled up the man's right sleeve, he was surprised to find various cuts, big and small, shallow and deep, many looking like scars that refuse to leave, littering most of his forearm.  What made him even more confused was the fact that none of them were bleeding, yet for some reason, especially the deepest and most prominent ones,  looked quite fresh.  He attended to them anyway.

 

After what seemed like hours in the dark, he managed to get most to all of the cuts that needed attending to, minus the minor ones that would heal by tomorrow without help.  After standing, he relished a large yawn and stretched. 

 

Takano was tired, and his backed ached from leaning over the angel, but he didn't want to go to sleep only to find the angel missing when he awoke.  He decided to set his phone alarm to wake up very early.   After doing so, he realized that he shouldn't just leave the angel on the floor, but he couldn't put him on the couch either since his wings would be all over the place, or he might fall on the coffee table corners. 

 

He sighed and lifted the man up, who was surprisingly very light and, besides the wings, his frame was quite small.  It somehow felt a little nice and he found his thoughts taking a liking to the angel.  For some reason, he felt like he recognized him too.

 

Takano carefully set him on his bed, spreading his wings out so they didn't feel cramped and uncomfortable.  He couldn't get used to them one bit, and he found himself staring at them.  They were so beautiful, pure white now that he had cleaned off the blood.  Although the bandages did cover up quite a bit.  He wondered what the man would look like in flight.

 

Realizing his thoughts would seem so ridiculous before today, he smiled to himself.  He put a blanket over the man, admiring his peaceful appearance for a moment afterward.  Realizing a yawn was coming over himself, he decided to get to bed as well, bringing out a spare blanket to sleep on the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it. Please tell me if there is anything wrong with it ^^


	3. Awake

Ritsu woke up, trying to shift on the softness of the unfamiliar bed, although his body ached and hurt, making the task uninviting.  A few seconds after opening his eyes, he remembered what had happened.  He sighed, wondering if going through that crack was really the best idea. 

 

He tried to get up, but his head started pounding and he felt the same unbearably odd feeling he did last night which, for some reason, he now knew the name of as _pain_.

 

He never experienced this in the Underworld, and whatever happened after darkness clouded his vision didn't happen either.  It almost felt like a time jump, a gap in memory, but for some reason, he knew that that was actually called _sleep_.  Even more confusing was the fact that all these previously unknown and unused terms in the Underworld suddenly popped up with meaning in the Overworld.

 

He put his hand to his right temple only to feel confused when he felt something odd placed over it.  He also realized that a lot of his body also had what felt like the same thing on it.  His sleeves were up all the way to reveal wrappings around his entire forearm and what he realized were _bandages_ on other parts of his body, particularly where there were minor cuts.

 

He sat up completely, although paused for a second when he felt dizzy, but ignored it and tried looking around the room.  He was confused.  Why wasn't he in the room he had crashed into?  Instead, he was in a dark gloomy bedroom which he could barely make out the features of.

He lifted his wings up, wincing when a sharp pain was the response to his actions.  He flinched when he heard footsteps coming from the other side of the door before it opened slowly and silently, revealing a tall black-haired man, staring back at him with surprised chocolate eyes.

 

Ritsu didn't know what to do.  And he was confused as to why the other didn't have wings.  Was he a new spirit that hadn't yet adorned them?  Was he about to reincarnate?  Somehow, the latter thought brought him a little dread.  Either way, he was relieved to be met with something a little more close to home and, thinking that he was a spirit just like Ritsu himself, smiled in relief and said, "H... hey.  My name's Ritsu Onodera."

 

The other man seemed taken aback by Ritsu's words, then seemed to look even more confused as he replied, "Takano Masamune."

 

_Maybe I'm still in the Underworld, but was transported to a different part?_

 

Ritsu fumbled through his thoughts and tried to formulate an answer to this situation.  A few awkward seconds with Ritsu fidgeting under Takano's gaze passed before Ritsu saying, "Uh, do you know where we are?  I think I got lost..."

 

Takano seriously didn't know what to think of this situation.  Was it normal for the angel named Ritsu to just ignore the fact that he had wings?  Did he think meeting with humans was actually normal?  The questions and confusion spilled over inside him and, ignoring Ritsu's question, asked, "What are you and where did you come from?" 

 

Ritsu, who had been staring at his feet trying to avoid the awkwardness of the situation, finally looked at Takano in what seemed like confusion.  "I'm... a spirit?  Aren't you one too?"  The younger asked as if it was obvious.

 

The coffee-colored eyes looked at him with surprise for a second.  The _spirit_ thought he himself was one too?  "I'm not a spirit, I am a human.  Where did you come from?"  Takano asked as he began getting a little closer, his figure slightly towering over the innocent angel.

 

"I-I came from a crack from the Underworld before it was sealed...  But, you're human?  Does that mean that I successfully..."  Ritsu said, spacing out in amazement.  He was here.  With The Living.  He managed to get to the place where all spirits come from and eventually choose to reincarnate back to when they are ready.  And he was in front of a human!

 

_Maybe now I can finally find what I've left behind in this world, why I still have so many lingering attachments._

Takano had way too many questions, and he knew that he was pushing them onto the younger man (was he actually younger though?), but his emotions had gotten the best of him.  He took a deep breath, sighed, and asked, "Do spirits eat food or need water?" 

 

Ritsu was taken out of his thoughts by the other's sigh, and replied with, "We can if we want to, but we don't need it, it does nothing to us.  But I'm not sure about my body here..."  Ritsu still couldn't believe he was talking to a human.  A live one!  Not just a spirit, but somebody from the Overworld.  He was in this world full of The Living.  He couldn't help the wide uncontrollable grin overcoming his features. 

 

Takano was about to head into the kitchen to heat up some beef stew he had made yesterday morning for the both of them when he sensed Ritsu's fidgeting and his hand trying to cover his wide excited smile.  "Can you walk?"  Takano asked, not wanting to leave the angel only to find it gone when he returned.  And plus, the other seemed to have many questions.

 

"I think so..." Ritsu said as he stood, although he was a little wobbly at first, but managed to stand with his wings haunched effortlessly on his back.  "How do you keep your balance like that?"  Takano asked in amazed confusion.

 

"They don't weigh anything.  Spirits can control the weight of their wings and their bodies," Ritsu answered honestly as he began following Takano into the kitchen, trying not to bump his wings in the small area.  Ritsu had so many questions for this human, but he was holding back since he didn't want to be imposing.

 

"So, how did you end up in my apartment?"  Takano asked as he motioned for the brunette to sit on the couch while he heated up some soup.  As it heated up, he came over to sit at the other end of the couch, giving the other the space he might need if he decided to spread his wings out.

 

"I... got sucked into that large windy disaster."  Takano eyed him before asking, "You mean the tornado?" 

 

Ritsu nodded his head after a moment of thought. 

_So that was what humans called them. Ah, for some reason, now I feel like I know the term by heart._

His excitement seemed to calm down as they talked, although the younger still seemed oddly happy. 

 

Takano couldn't help the laughter overtaking him when he saw Ritsu nearly jump out of himself when the oven timer went off for the stew.  "What is that?"  Ritsu asked frantically, though seemed to have calmed down much considering the human didn't find the noise threatening. 

 

"It means the food is ready,"  Takano said as he walked over to the kitchen, still grinning from laughter.  Ritsu finally relaxed when the noise stopped, and afterward Takano was delivering two bowls of delicious stew to the coffee table, placing one in front of Ritsu and the other in front of himself. 

 

"Ah, Takano-san, I don't think I need to eat since I'm a spirit,"   Ritsu shyly said.  Takano encouraged him anyway, saying that since he was in the human world it might be different.  Ritsu took a bite, and Takano noticed the light smile in compliment of the food.  "It's good!"  Ritsu said.  "And it's real...  I wonder what real food will do to me, haha."

 

Takano worried about that, but as they began eating, he went back to savoring his own dish, glancing at the subtle movement of the other man's wings every now and then. 

 

 _Well, it's not like angels can die,_ Takano thought, shrugging off any worry.

 

The silence was a bit awkward for Ritsu, but it didn't seem so for Takano.  The angel couldn't help but pull down on his sleeves as one of his nervous habits, that is until he realized his right sleeve was rolled down.  He stared at his arm in complete confusion wondering how in the world was that possible.

 

"Ritsu?  What's wrong?"  Takano asked, noticing the other's sudden change in mood.  Ritsu, too deep in thought to hear him, instead rolled up his sleeve only to see his forearm completely wrapped up.  "Ah that... Your forearm was cut up pretty bad, so I thought I would just wrap up the entire thing.  But it wasn't bleeding one bit..."

 

Ritsu, finally hearing him, shifted uncomfortably mumbling, "I see, thanks..."  Takano eyed him a moment longer, noticing Ritsu's change in atmosphere.

 

"Takano-san, what do humans do?  Why do they die?"  Ritsu asked, far in thought.  He had already finished his stew and was now fidgeting with his right sleeve.  It felt so weird having his sleeved pulled down.  It was impossible in the Overworld, no spirit could alter their appearance from how they first looked when they came there.

 

"Nobody really knows why.  Most of us simply try to achieve our goals or achieve happiness, others think that we have a bigger purpose.  Some think that God created us... wait, is God in your world?"

 

"Who's  God?"  Ritsu questioned, lifting an eyebrow.  Takano waved him off, giving a "nevermind."

 

"Well, I would say nobody truly knows.  Although everyone lives life out, and most try to live it out to the fullest."  Both of them seem to slip into their thoughts, silence taking over the apartment. 

 

Ritsu flinched when he heard an odd tune coming from Takano's side of the couch.  Takano pulled out his phone from his pocket, turning off the tune coming from it.  For some reason, Ritsu almost instantly knew that what Takano was holding was a _phone_ and that what he turned off was an _alarm_. 

 

"I have to go to work soon.  Erm... You can stay here if you want."  Takano said, wondering, and somewhat dreading, if Ritsu will be going back to his world.  "Ah, I really have nowhere else to go.  Would it really be alright?  I mean, I'm imposing..."

 

"It's alright, really.  I'll be gone for most of the day,"  Takano said as he began walking towards the door.  _He's leaving already?_   Ritsu thought with a touch of disappointment.  He got up to, seeing him off with a wave and a smile.  "I'll be here when you get  back, if that's okay."  Takano smiled at him as he reassured him it was fine, then he left. 

 

After walking back into the apartment, Ritsu felt... odd.  Like all his vigor and emotions were drained out of him.  He wondered why.  He explored the apartment, but the more he focused on the layout of everything, the worse he felt.  When he entered the bathroom, that odd feeling intensified, but he found himself walking in there.

 

He blinked a few times to himself, wondering why he was loitering in the bathroom of all places and rushed out.  He shook his head of the emptiness overtaking him and aimlessly walked around again.

 

_Ahh, that's why the bathroom felt so weird._

Ritsu realized.  While although nobody knows why spirits were transferred to the Overworld, he now knows why.  Another one of those things-that-have-no-meaning-in-the-Underworld-suddenly-have meaning phenomena.  Another _realization_.

 

He stared at his wrapped forearm covered in the medical wrap. 

 

 _Probably felt weird in there because maybe I ended my life in a bathroom_.

 

Ritsu unwrapped the medical wrapping, taking it all off.  He set it to the side when he was done and stared at his arm.  Yeah, they never bleed, and they wouldn't start now. 

 

A sudden headache overcame the angel, sharp and painful.  Clutching his head, he flopped onto the bed beside him.  Meanings of words he never knew came to him, of things he's never heard of before, of places. 

 

Memories of books, paper stacks, shutting lockers, billowing curtains... and a school library with one person sitting at a table with a book in their hand, facing the other way. 

 

Ritsu opened his eyes at that, though sighed when he realized he had cut off the flow of buried memories.  He sat there, tossing and turning until he felt tired and decided to sleep.  Something he never needed before,  but for some reason, he felt like sleep was a necessity.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can bookmark my own work...


	4. I Recognize You

Masamune was about to get another swig from the coffee can on his desk when he realized it was completely empty.  He silently groaned.  It was his third can and the cycle hadn't even started to get extreme, yet. 

 

The cause of his continuous drinking was probably the confusion of having an angel in your house.  A real angel.  And he couldn't put his finger on it, but he recognized him! 

 

He sighed and decided to get another can of coffee, asking anybody else if they wanted one to which Kisa and Hatori said yes to, but Mino stayed quiet.  With a smile on his face.  Probably focusing on his work.

 

_I wonder what Ritsu's doing Right Now... Great, I hope he didn't leave the apartment.  He should know that he shouldn't be walking around with that pair of wings on his back right?  What if-_

 

While spacing out, he had bumped into Yokozawa, who only gave him a confused look, although, to most anybody else, it would look like a scowl.  "Good afternoon," he said before continuing his quest for canned coffee.  Although he was interrupted when Yokozawa lightly gripped his shoulder.  "You alright?  You look tired."

 

"It's nothing, just didn't get much sleep last night is all. See ya," Takano said in a monotone to help prove his point before leaving.  He heard the slightly bigger man sigh from behind him, but he didn't care at the moment.  He was too focused on a certain angel. 

 

After getting to the machine and getting a good gulp or two, he resolved to finish the rest of his work faster so he can return to Ritsu.

 

* * *

 

_Different books, all blurred titles on a large bookshelf.  An oh so familiar scene, one of a teen with black hair, dozing off in his arms as he sat comfortably at one of the library tables, this time with an open book in front of him.  The window was open, so the large curtains were fluttering slightly with the breeze, a few sakura petals flying in._

Beautiful _, Ritsu couldn't help but think._

_Ritsu got closer, very slowly.  He lifted up the book the other had been reading, only to jump and drop it back on the table when the sleeping man moved.  Ritsu ran back behind the bookshelf and peeked at him._

_Ritsu lifted out the library book card that he had managed to snatch out of his favorite person's book.  He read the latest entry with a warmhearted smile..._

_Saga Masamune._

Ritsu woke up with a start, although was disappointed when the only thing he saw was the bland-colored ceiling, nothing like the beautiful scene he saw in his dream.  He sat up, trying to remember the name at the end of his dream. 

 

He was confused when his vision was blurred, but when he rubbed his eyes, they came back wet. 

 

_I'm crying_...

 

He leaned his head back, trying to keep the seemingly random tears in, and was confused at the wave of destitute emotions now flowing in him.  There was... no reason to be sad right?  Why was he crying?  He decided to pace the room, hopefully, to get his mind off the odd emotions and stop his crying.

 

After what seemed like hours but was only a few minutes, the emotions were gone and the tears were too.  Ritsu perked up when the door opened, seeing Takano standing there with what seemed like a relieved expression.  "I'm back.  Thought you would be in here."

 

Ritsu welcomes him back but then eyed a sealed clear box in his hands.  "It's about time we change your bandages," Takano says, sitting on his bed and motioning the angel to do the same. 

 

Ritsu sat down, and while Takano was nursing his wings, he hears Ritsu mumble, "I want to fly again..."  Takano wanted to see that.  "Well, it seems most of your minor injuries are pretty much gone, though there are still a few large gashes from the glass that may take more time."  Ritsu wondered if flying would even be possible though, considering he was in a world of humans.

 

While doctoring Ritsu, Takano-san began making conversation, telling him what to expect if he walked out of the apartment, social norms and how the rest of the world was like.  How nobody was an angel, that nobody had wings as did Ritsu.  Ritsu asked him various questions to which Takano elaborated on.  Each new item of information seemed to spark Ritsu's excitement and curiosity of this new world.

 

After Takano was done with the wings, Ritsu realized he was moving onto his body, though it would be a lot more awkward since the brunette wasn't unconscious.  Ritsu seemed to notice this and said, "Ah, I'll get the cuts on my body later."  Ritsu seemed to think they were done, considering that he only needed help with his injured wings to which it was hard for Ritsu himself to get access to, and was about to get up before Takano gently grabbed his hand, saying, "I'll get your arm since those cuts are deep."

 

Ritsu sat back down again and undid the medical wrapping while Takano rummaged for another sterile roll.  Ritsu was shocked though, and examined the cuts more thoroughly, only to find that while barely noticeable, they were tiniest bit more closed.  The cuts that would stay there no matter what he did in the Underworld are now healing.

 

_Impossible.  What the hell?  Are they really healing?_

The angel was brought out of his thoughts when Takano called his name with a hint of worry.  "Ah, it's nothing really."

 

Ritsu was making that face again.  Takano wanted to ask again, this time more insistent, but then he remembered that he left Ritsu here most of the day without anything to eat.  "Ritsu, are you hungry?" Ritsu seemed to pause in thought for a moment but then shook his head.  He didn't feel hungry.  Takano figured he would still give him something to eat anyway.

 

After they were done, Takano offered him the entire box of medical supplies to use while he fixed them both something to eat.  Before he walked out though, he heard Ritsu say a shy, "Takano-san, thanks really.  For everything."  The raven-haired man smiled fondly at that.  He wasn't expecting a thank you, but nevertheless, it was nice to have a little heartfelt appreciation.  He ruffled the angel's hair briefly before going into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

 

Ritsu blushed slightly at the contact and he watched Takano-san go.  The last time someone had touched him affectionately, although it was a simple pat on the back, was back in the Underworld where an old angel had helped him learn to use his wings.   

 

Remembering the Underworld made him want to fly.  He wanted to walk, to skip, to hop with his weightless body before finally springing up into the air and taking flight.  But he had to wait until they were healed.  He wondered if they would heal faster if they were dispersed.  Wounds were never a thing in the Underworld, every spirit simply kept the exact same appearance from when they first entered, down from the folded collar to the messy bedhead. 

 

He contemplated the decision, of dispersing his wings, but decided against it.  He didn't know what would happen.  If he dispersed his wings, there is a possibility he couldn't reassemble them again.  Although did he really need to have wings?  Especially in a world where nobody had them, according to Takano-san. 

 

Ritsu sighed.  whenever his thoughts got caught up on a dilemma he didn't need to make a choice in immediately, he liked to ignore the subject since it would only stress him out.  Not to mention, coming to a new world was already stressing enough.  He looked around until he spotted a neat stack of literature books on Takano's desk.

 

He wondered if it was okay to read it, and decided to ask Takano-san, knowing it was probably impolite to read it without asking.  Ritsu was about to call out to Takano from the short hallway before he heard Takano talking, "It's alright.  Seriously Yokozawa-san, you don't have to come over."

 

Ritsu paused, realizing he was eavesdropping on a phone conversation and when he was about to go back into the bedroom, he heard the end of their conversation and Takano hang up.  Ritsu was slightly curious about the person on the other end of the line, but he felt it would be impolite to ask.  Before he could head back into the bedroom though, he heard Takano's voice behind him ask, "Ritsu?" 

 

Ritsu turned around awkwardly smiling, "Ahh, I was just wondering if I may read a book?"  Ritsu said as he walked into the bedroom and pointed at the stack of literature books.  Instead of answering, Takano thought for a second, then almost smirked as he handed Ritsu the first book in the series. 

 

Ritsu thanked him before getting busy on a chair while Takano looked up some things on his computer, although before Ritsu got through the first five pages, he noticed something strange... and familiar.  His face cringed in embarrassment when he realized it was BL.

 

Takano, having noticed the nice light shade of red emanating from Ritsu's cheeks, suppressed a giggle to which Ritsu realized and glared at.  "I-I think I'll just get some fresh air,"  Ritsu said as he smacked the book back on the stack it originally came from.

 

"Where?  Sorry to say, but you can't go outside with those wings," Takano said, following Ritsu as he headed into the living room.  "Your window is still broken, I'll just look out it," Ritsu said as he approached the now large free opening looking down on the city.  "Speaking of which, a repairman will be in here tomorrow afternoon to fix that," Takano said, joining him.

 

At that Ritsu looked at him with wide eyes.  Then he glared at his own wings.  The pesky large wings that would undoubtedly stand out in almost every location, except maybe a Halloween party.  Weirding out the repairman didn't exactly sound like a good idea, especially since he might be here quite a while.  And there might be more than one.

_Maybe I should dissipate them...  At this rate, I'm really burdening Takano-san, aren't I?_

 

Before he could give a second thought to it, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and dissipated his wings.  Takano's curiosity was caught by Ritsu's sudden relaxation, then he watched Ritsu, more specifically his wings, in surprise and amazement.  The wings almost turned into dust, a very light blue dust, and it swirled into two small floating blue compact tiny orbs. 

 

Ritsu turned and grabbed them both, watching them roll around in his hand like toy marbles.  "I just dissipated them, though I can reassemble them whenever I want, hopefully.  Haven't tried it in this world though... They are simply in a smaller form."

 

Ritsu's words snapped him out of his stupor and he met Ritsu's emerald gaze.  He took in the sight of a now wingless Ritsu and for some odd reason, Takano felt taken back.  He definitely knew this now wingless spirit.  "Ritsu, do you have any memories of when you were human?"

 

Ritsu gazed back at his now wings-turned-marbles, a slight frown coming upon his features as he shook his head.  "I think I might be getting memories back though, especially when I dream.  I remember seeing a man sitting at a table.  The scene was beautiful, there were cherry blossoms flowing in through the open library window."

 

Takano considered those memories for a moment, but then silence ensued and his heart almost stopped as the shock set in.  He was... remembering.  The realization came over him as his memories were recalled.  He now knew why the man in front of him felt like such a familiar person from his own memories.  Because this same spirit was the one that had stalked him all those years ago, and the one that he fell in love with.


End file.
